“The Dharma is like water, which can wash away defilements. Whether water comes from a well, a pond, a stream, a river, a brook, a channel, or a great ocean, it can wash away all defilements. Dharma-water is also like this; it can cleanse sentient beings of the defilements of their afflictions.”
The Sutra of Infinite Meanings, Chapter on Expounding the Dharma
About Us
We at the Dharma as Water (DAW) Team believe that every one of us can apply the Dharma in our daily lives to help us transform ourselves and others. Our vision is a growing community of bodhisattva practitioners that put the Buddha’s and Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s teachings into practice to bring awakening to everyone, everywhere.
We produce English subtitles for Tzu Chi’s Da Ai TV programs such as Wisdom at Dawn, Essence of the Bodhi Mind, Grassroots Bodhi, and Da Ai Drama. We also translate Tzu Chi song lyrics into English. We have compiled and are continuing to expand the Tzu Chi Glossary for ease of referencing commonly used Tzu Chi terms. We translate and help publish many of the books written by Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
We develop and implement various spiritual training programs such as Gratitude, Respect, and Love for Tzu Chi youth, collegiate, and adult volunteers. We also hold periodic online study groups and online prayer sessions.
Vision
We envision the widespread availability and acceptance of Master’s teachings, as well as the formation of a community of Bodhisattva practitioners, speaking English and other languages, who will join Bodhisattvas around the world in applying Master’s teachings in their lives and their communities, advancing Tzu Chi’s missions, and linking together to form a critical mass that will grow and develop, thus bringing real, positive change and pervasive awakening to the US and beyond.
Missions
1. We are committed to realizing our vision.
2. To do so, we will work to organize and structure Master’s teachings to facilitate presenting the teachings in a way that is accessible to and applicable for a Western audience.
3. We will produce materials in English and other languages and help the Dharma reach more and more people in the global community.
4. We will create training and activity resources in local languages that help people implement the Dharma in their life and activities, and offer training and support to make use of them.
5. We will work in partnership with different operations within Tzu Chi to support them in expanding the participation of non-Chinese-speaking volunteers and the integration of Chinese-speaking and non-Chinese-speaking volunteers.
6. Furthermore we will continue to recruit, train and support new seeds, helping them to make use of their talents and be inspired and empowered to joyfully work towards our common vision.
7. We seek to do all this through skillful methods that harmonize practice with principles–applying Master’s teachings in our own lives and in our work process, continually seeking to improve ourselves and help those around us to do the same, leading by example so that one can give rise to infinity.